Chief Aviation Elctronicsman Hawthorn was a crew member aboard a patrol bomber, P2V-3 Neptune, from Patrol Squadron 6 (VP-6) at Naval Air Station Atsugi, Japan. He was on an intelligence gathering mission over the Sea of Japan on the night of November 6, 1951. His aircraft experienced a runaway propeller and was forced to ditch. He was listed as Missing in Action. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.